Story byFC Köln wonderkid Said El Mala reveals why he turned down Borussia DortmundBulinewsThu, December 18, 2025 at 11:25 AM UTC·1 min readBorussia Dortmund made a strong push to sign 1. FC Köln wonderkid Said El Mala in 2024, when he was playing for Viktoria Köln. However, the 19-year-old turned down Dortmund because, unlike FC Köln, the Black and Yellows only wanted to sign him and not his older brother Malek. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Then it was off the table for me," Said El Mala underlined in an interview with 11 Freunde. While Said has broken into Köln’s first team and was even called up to Germany’s senior national team earlier this year, Malek is playing for the club’s reserves. The 20-year-old striker has scored five goals in 11 Regionalliga West appearances this season.